18 November 2017

Kelly Lee Owens - Kelly Lee Owens

Kelly
Lee Owens is the self-titled debut from the London based producer/trance
artist.After releasing some EP’s and
working on other people’s work, she has gone for broke and released her first album.This is a brave move for anyone to do, to
make create something and name it after themselves.I know that I can be hard on bands and
artists on this blog, but I always admire the fact that these people have the
guts to do this, it is an inspiring thing to do.I first read about this record in Mojo
magazine, thought about listening to it and promptly forgot (my band).But I was recently reading an article on
Pitchfork and Kelly Lee Owens was in
a list of albums that have gone under the radar in 2017.This brought it back to my attention, so I
have promptly written this short review.I am not gonna lie and say I have always been a fan, this record is the
first piece of music that I have knowingly listened to by Ms. Owens, but it is
now time to see what this record is about.

01 - S.O.

"S.O." starts this album with a hypnotic and dream-filled song, it's
a gentle introduction to this artist for someone such as myself who has not
heard her work before. With strong strings, a low bass and various organic
sounds, it has a charm and grace that I surprised me, it also gained my
interest. Also, the fact that I could hear sound effects that were not
straight from a computer perked my ears, those noise give "S.O." an
organic feeling and it sounds beautiful.

02 - Arthur

"Arthur" continues that organic feeling on, with the sound of running
water, birds and other wildlife at the beginning of the song as the music
builds up. "Arthur" reminds me of the early work of The Orb and
The Beloved, when trance was not a dirty word and you could listen to listen to
atmospheric music that you could also dance to when the mood suited. It’s
a modern take on an old style, I love the performance on this song, it never
gets old or boring.

03 - Anxi - Featuring Jenny Hval

“Anxi” is another old-school dance tune given a modern perspective, one that
reminds me of the early 90’s club scene with its haunting vocals (supplied by
Jenny Hval) and the massive emphases on the bass and percussion on “Anxi”.It’s a great tune, just the right length so
you do not lose your interest and not too short either, one of the best songs
on the album.

04 – Lucid

“Lucid” keeps up the fantastic work of trance/dance joy from Kelly Lee Owens,
with a gentle touch and memorable vocal performance, “Lucid” sounds like a
daydream make flesh, as if the dance has broken into reality and is dancing
around you.It’s another song that
sounds retro, but without sounding dated in the slightest.I love the way to swirls around you, entwins
and then departs with a gentle memory. This album keeps getting better with
each track.

05 – Evolution

“Evolution” keeps everything simple once again, there is a minimalist feeling
to the music, but the tempo is increased, and the party is starting to pick up
its pace.There is no complication here,
it is a straight forward dancing number, the bass is spot on and there is no
fat to the music – streamlined and to the point, just how this sort of music
should be.

06 – Bird

“Bird” kicks off the second half of this album in style, it’s a chill out
anthem in waiting and will be high in my own personal song of the year
list.It has a lovely little repetitive
chime running through the song, once again bringing the organic feeling back to
the album, the energy pitches and wanes in the right places here, creating one
of the best pieces of electronica in 2017, simple and delightful.

07 – Throwing Lines

“Throwing Lines” keeps up the minimalist, old school feeling that has been the
main feature of the album, with another piece ofjoyful sound that gives the body shives and
sends the pulse racing as the bass picks up pace and the music sounds delicate
as always.This is one of the few tracks
on Kelly Lee Owens that feels as if
it was ended too soon, but it is still a good number.

08 – CBM

“CBM” is a straight forward (mostly) instrumental, bare bones, fast-paced, bass
filled and straight to the point.It’s
another good song, one that keeps the energy flowing and does not waste any
time with strange paths of music interludes and sounds as good as anything else
off the album.

09 – Keep Walking

“Keep Walking” is the penultimate song of the album and reminds me of Fever Ray
from the outset, with its minimalist instrumentation, heavy vocal emphasises
and the lack of anything outside of those elements.It’s a decent enough song, but not one that I
would choose as a shining example of the positives of this album.

10 – 8

Ending the album is “8”, a song that starts with a looping chime, various
noises spinning around and the presence of a bass drum.Then the bass kicks in, with the song
building at a slow pace, but upwards it builds ever onwards.It reaches a natural peak before the noise
starts to crumble in on itself and the music starts to come to its natural
conclusion.It’s a decent enough ending,
but it does take a while to reach its conclusion.

This is a great introduction to the work of Kelly Lee Owens, it has a soul that
you don’t always acquire on your first release, it has a presence that
transcends its own genre and it is one of the best secrets of the underground
in 2017.It works in every situation, as
a relaxer, as a club album, as a driving album, as a piece to get excited about
and play to your friends.I love this
record, it’s such a unique piece of art and I recommend you check it out now!

8.5 out of ten – Oh, now you have my attention and maybe my time, money and
heart

Welcome to the final round-up review of 2017! Similar to the Round-Up posts I put up earlier in the year, I’m going to be posting some bull...

Translate

Notice to all....

There is nothing to download here - We share no links to free downloads, only to either Spotify, Amazon or the artist themselves. Support the artists and purchase the music, or at least listen to the Spotify link - they do get something from there, even if it is criminally low. All views given on this blog are only the opinions of the person who has written the blog and they are to be took with a pinch of salt. If you disagree, that is your choice, just as it is the reviewer's when they post their thoughts and views. Also, any photos used are from sources such as Wikipedia or Amazon - we aim to get free images where ever possible. All copyright belongs to the person who painted the image, the photographer, the graphic designer, the artist/bands in question obviously and as stated above there is no illegal downloads linked to this page.

If you have any requests for what you would like to see reviewed, let us know in a comment. You can also contact us at iisfoley1@gmail.com. Please note, if we have not replied within 3 weeks, we will not be reviewing the submission.

Album scoring system

0 - This is proof there is no deity1 - You're really are touching the bottom of the barrel with this one2 - If only there was some quality control3 - It could have been a bit better4 - Well it's alright, but still......5 -Not for everyone but played well6 - Now I see where you were going, but it's not quite there7 - This is good and well worth a check8 - Oh, now you have my attention and maybe my money, time and heart9 - Almost perfect....Almost10 - This is proof there is a deity(For albums that are too crazy to be marked)Crazy Cat symbol - This album cannot be marked, so here is a box of kittens

Singles/EP Marking System

0 - Only to be listened to by people bless with the gift of being deaf1 - Not so much on the bad that it is bottom of the barrel, but it can see the stuff down there2 - Not bad, not good - so average it is Zen3 - Decent, getting there4 - This is really good, well worth checking out5 - I wish I had extra ears to love this more(For Singles/EPs that are too crazy to mark)Crazy Cat symbol - This release cannot be marked, so here is a box of kittens